"Should I have posted this?"

My boss and I had an exchange last week that a couple hundred people overheard because it happened online: I wrote a blog about having a bad week at work, and she responded.


To be honest, I wasn't sure if her post made me feel uncomfortable or whether I was fine with it. I gave myself a week to think about it, and to absorb insight and advice from others (thanks!). A lot of people don't understand why some of us use social media to have conversations. Some people have told me to lay low, not continue this dialogue online, not say what I think on Yammer or Twitter (which people are increasingly using in our organization).


Except...many people are talking about their work in the public service, online (like on Govloop). And I think it's great. So, I've decided to keep doing it. This is why:

1. I want to practice what I preach, and what I preach is that open government is the way to go. As public servants, we have an opportunity to model being open and transparent. Pushing comfort zones and re-defining boundaries is needed to affect change in the world. The transition from closed to open is going to be uncomfortable and create some tensions for politicians, citizens, etc. If I'm going to be part of the change, then I'm going to have to accept feeling uncomfortable myself, and making others uncomfortable sometimes.
2. I like virtual water cooler chats. Microblogging enables those little sweet diversions that inspire and connect dots and people.
3. It provides an opportunity for more trust. Here's my logic: if Nick and Rueben never started blogging and Steve hadn't started GovLoop, then I'd be less likely to ask them for help with my work. The online dialogue they're engaged in gives me insight into what they think and value, and I can see that we care about the same things. People who tweet and yam and blog do so not because it's in their job description, but rather, because they are genuinely passionate about some aspect of government. And if they're passionate about government, chances are I have a few goals and values in common with them. I trust that we're on the same team even if we don't always agree. I trust that when we disagree, we can talk about it, and still work well together.

More:
http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/should-i-have-posted-this

Someone higher than your boss may not appreciate those "little sweet diversions" you are enjoying. I'd be very careful. Your boss doesn't sound very professional either..

Learning when not to talk is a good habit.